Abstract
Polystyrene (PS) resin is a general-purpose resin, its output and consumption are only lower than that for PE, Polyvinyl Chloride (PVC) and PP. It is usually produced with mass and suspension polymerization. PS resin has three major types: general-purpose one (GPPS), high impact-resistive PS (HIPS) and expandable PS (EPS). PS resin is widely used in home electric appliances, automobiles, home articles, packaging containers and industrial parts, etc.
In 1999, the production capacity of China's PS was 0.82 million tons/year, the output was nearly 0.55million tons, the import was 1.517 million tons, while the export was 28 thousand tons. The apparent demand was 2.04 million tons, and the self-supplying rate was only 27%. Both the output and apparent consumption are lower than that for PE (2.73 and 5.30 million tons, respectively) and for PP (2.65 and 4.11 million tons, respectively).
The No.1 application for PS in China is to produce components for home appliances and electronic/electric devices, the No.2 is PS foam products, mainly for boxes for fast food, packaging material, construction sheets, etc. And the rest is for daily articles, office articles, toys and BOPS sheets, etc.
While China's domestic demand on PS increases rapidly, her domestic manufacturers can't meet this either for quantity or for varieties, and the output increases slowly. Therefore, China must import a great amount of PS every year. The quantity for that increased rapidly, in 1990, it was 0.143 million tons, while in 1999, it reached to 1.517 million tons, and the PS output of China in 1999 was only 0.55 million tons, accounting for only 27% of her apparent consumption.
In the next several years, China's demand on PS will increase further in certain rate, it is estimated that in 2005, the demand will be 2.80million tons, and in 2010, it will be 3.70 million tons. At the same time as demand increases, the consumption structure for PS will also change, the proportion of foam products will drop greatly, while that for home electric appliances and daily goods will rise.

Table of Contents:

Contents
1 General
2 Status of Production and Consumption for PS in the World
2.1 Status of PS Supply-Demand in the World
2.1.1 Status of PS Supply in the World
2.1.2 Status of Demand on PS in the World
2.2 Status of PS Consumption in the World
2.3 Forecast on Development in PS
2.4 Position of China's PS industry in the world
3 Division of and Analysis on China's PE Market
3.1 Division of China's PE Market
3.2 Analysis on Division for China's PS Market
3.2.1 Home Appliances, Electron/Electric Devices
3.2.2 Daily Articles
3.2.3 Foam Products
3.2.4 BOPS
4 Status of Supply - Demand Balance for PS in China
4.1 Demand in China's PS Market
4.2 Domestic Status of PS Supply in China
4.3 Analysis on Import/Export
4.3.1 Sources of Imported PS of China
4.3.2 Import Trading Way
4.3.3 Main Brands of Imported PS in China
4.4 Plan for building new and rebuilding/expanding PS facility in China
5 Forecast on China's PS Market
6 Status of PS Production in China
6.1 China's PS Production Enterprises
6.2 Overview of Facilities
6.2.1 Introduction to China's GPPS/HIPS Facilities
6.2.2 EPS Production Facility
7 Status of Major PS Import and Application Enterprises in China
8 Analysis on PS Price on China's Market
9 Analysis on Styrene Production and Supply
9.1 General Statement
9.2 International Market
9.3 Chinese Market
9.3.1 Status of Production for Styrene
9.3.2 Status of Styrene Supply-Demand in China
9.3.3 China's Styrene Consumption Structure
9.3.4 Domestic Prices for Styrene in China
9.3.5 Problems Existing in China's Styrene Production
10 Analysis on Competitiveness of China's PS Industry
11 Industrial Management System and Relative Policy
12 Developing Opportunities for and Suggestions on Developing China's PS Market
Tables
Table 1 PS production capacity in the world in 1999
Table 2 PS production capacity in Asia in 1999
Table 3 PS consumption in the world in 1999
Table 4 PS consumption in the neighbor countries/areas of China in 1999
Table 5 PS consumption structures for some countries/areas
Table 6 Position of China's PS industry in the world in 1999
Table 7 China's PS consumption structure Unit: 10 thousand tons, %
Table 8 Apparent PS consumption of China in the past years
Table 9 Comparison between PS supply and demand in domestic of China in 1999
Table 10 Main brands of imported PS
Table 11 Plans for building new and rebuilding/expanding PS facility
Table 12 Forecast on change in PS consumption structure in China
Table 13 Main PS suppliers in China in 1999
Table 14 Technologies used by China's imported PS facilities
Table 15 China's Main PS importing enterprises and their import volumes in 1999
Table 16 Status of consumption for main PS consumers in 1999
Table 17 PS prices on China's market in the past years
Table 18 Status of demand on styrene in the world
Table 19 Styrene consumption structure in 1998 for the world
Table 20 Main styrene production facilities in China Unit: 104 tons/year
Table 21 Apparent styrene consumption in China
Table 22 Styrene consumption structure in 1998 in China
Table 23 Changes in prices for styrene in recent years in China
Table 24 Comparing the advantages and shortcomings between domestic and imported resins
Figures
Figure 1 PS production capacity in the world in 1999
Figure 2 PS production capacity in Asia in 1999
Figure 3 PS consumption in the world in 1999
Figure 4 PS consumption in the neighbor countries/areas of China in 1999
Figure 5 PS consumption structures for some countries/areas
Figure 6 China's PS consumption structure
Figure 7 Status of PS supply-demand in China in the past
Figure 8 Sources of imported PS in China
Figure 9 Trading way of imported PS in China in 1999
Figure 10 Forecast on change in China's PS consumption structure
Figure 11 PS price Change in Chinese market in past years